


Chilvary Is Dead

by goddess_julie



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Car Accidents, Drama, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-22
Updated: 2013-11-22
Packaged: 2018-01-02 07:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1054165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddess_julie/pseuds/goddess_julie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wherein Merlin and Gwen feel it's healthy to show emotion and Morgana and Arthur disagree and in the end, everyone is crying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chilvary Is Dead

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as my Day 21 fic for Mini Nanowrimo on LJ. I'm doing 30 fics in 30 days in different fandoms.
> 
> I hate my job. My family. My life. I saw this picture which was LJ's visual for today 
> 
> http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo320/mininano_2008/2013%20Prompts/48719c8d-e81e-4837-b8af-ce5896051a71_zpsc28a492b.jpg
> 
> and this resulted.

"Where has chivalry gone?" 

Arthur looked from his sister to his best friend before settling his gaze on his hands that were folded in his lap. 

"Someone sees something wrong with you, when did we stop asking what was wrong and begin thinking that you're the problem?"

Merlin nodded sympathetically. He wrapped an arm around the woman who was curled up against his side, trying to calm the tremors that were wracking her body.

"Gwen," Morgana said firmly, her eyes warm but her voice stern. "People are horrible. You can only really look out for yourself, because no one is going to do it for you."

"That is an awful way to live," Gwen hiccuped emotionally. "I just, I work so hard and it's for nothing. It doesn't matter what I do, it can all be wiped away in the blink of an eye, for something that..."

"GWEN," Morgana's voice rose, startling Merlin and Gwen. She was sitting at the island bar between the dining room and the living room. Merlin and Gwen were curled up on the couch together while Arthur sat uncomfortably on the chair beside them. "I get where you're coming from. You're this emotional person who has these feelings that you need to let out, but really? Just suck it up."

Merlin's eyes narrowed at his friends' words. 

"Honestly," Morgana said with a nod, "it's fine when you're in school, but you're an adult now. Show it."

At the woman's harsh words, Gwen's eyes teared up and she nodded. "You're right."

"Like hell she is," Merlin growled. "We all need an outlet Morgana." He looked at his boyfriend for any modicum of agreement, disappointed when he found none. "Really Arthur?"

"She was crying, at her desk," Arthur stated with a shrug of his shoulders. "In a professional environment you need to be just that, professional."

"And if she worked for you," Merlin asked snidely. "Would you have embarrassed her publicly too? Would you have done what Cenred did and mocked her in front of the staff? Is that professional?"

"Well, I wouldn't have been quite so cruel about it, but she was already causing a spectacle..."

Merlin stood up, pulling Gwen to her feet with him. "You both disgust me right now," he stated as he hugged his friend to his chest as she sobbed uncontrollably. "You're supposed to be her friends."

"But Merlin," Arthur protested, stopping when the other man held up his hand.

"Not now Arthur," Merlin said, holding back tears of his own. "I'm about to cause a spectacle right now, and the last thing we need right now is one of us saying something neither of us can take back."

"Now you're just being childish," Morgana admonished in a condescending tone. She rolled her eyes and picked up her phone, playing with it before looking up. When she saw the stunned expressions on both Merlin and Gwen's faces she sighed. "What?"

"Goodbye," Merlin helped Gwen into her coat, whispering softly to her. He shook his head when she responded too soft for the siblings to hear her. "It's fine. We'll figure something out."

"Where are you going?" 

The annoyed tone of Arthur's question caused for Merlin to turn around forcefully. "Meet me in the hall," he spoke to Gwen through clenched teeth. "I'll be a moment."

When she was out the door Merlin turned an angry eye onto his friends. "I'm used to a lot of the things that are different between us," he said in a very controlled voice. "We grew up differently, different values impressed upon us, different expectations. But fuck you both for being so heartless. Fuck you both for being so damn selfish. Since I know neither of you will be ashamed of yourselves for this, I'll just have to burden myself with being ashamed for you. Goodbye."

Without waiting for a response, Merlin turned around and stalked out of Morgana's condo, slamming the door in a furious rage. He took a deep breath before linking his arm through Gwen's and leading her towards the elevator. They held onto each other tightly as they made their way out of the building, both expelling a deep, cleansing breath in the fresh air.

"You know," Gwen finally said softly, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I know what they're like, I know how they were raised, but it doesn't make it any easier when they get like this."

"I know," Merlin agreed sadly. They walked in silence for a few blocks until they reached the subway station closest to Morgana's place. "We'll figure something out Gwenny, we will see what the doctors say and go from there." Gwen nodded, her eyes filling with tears. "When did they say to head over?"

"Six," Gwen whispered. 

"I'm sure it'll be fine if we're early. We'll get you some tea and something to eat..." Gwen moved to argue but Merlin only shook his head. "NO, you are not fine, you need to eat. I don't care if you're not hungry, you're going to eat if I have to shove it down your throat and choke you with it."

Both friends began to laugh at the picture of Merlin overpowering anyone. He was the most peaceful of the group, even more so than Lancelot, Gwen's fiancé, and that was saying quite a bit. When Gwen's laughter bubbled into sobs once more, tears began to flow freely down her cheeks and she held onto Merlin desperately.

"He's going to be all right," Merlin whispered with a kiss to the top of Gwen's head.

~~~~~

"WHAT was that?" Morgana asked angrily. "Is it me or did Merlin just overreact?"

With a nod of agreement from Arthur, the soft sound of someone clearing their throat reminded them of another person in the room. Morgana and Arthur turned to face Leon who had witnessed the whole conversation standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Seriously Leon, did you see them? Something is wrong with them? They're grown adults, they need to harden up if they want to live in the real world." She let out an airy laugh as she went back to typing into her phone. "Yes, Cendred King is a twat, but please. Crying at her desk, practically sobbing from what she said."

Leon's eyes raised and Arthur sighed. "Oh please Leon. My sister is right, it's a matter of professionalism. Her and Merlin have always been too soft, too fragile. I love them both, but..." He shook his head sadly. "It's sad really."

"What I think is sad," Leon said as he crossed his arms over his chest, "is that neither of you could tell me right now WHY she was crying."

Arthur and Morgana exchanged surprised glances. Both faltered, as though trying to think back to the events of the afternoon. 

"Well... she..." Morgana stuttered. Arthur shook his head, helplessly.

"And YOU do?" Morgana looked at her husband in disbelief. He nodded.

"I do."

"How do YOU know?" 

"Because Arthur Pendragon, I asked. I saw her upset and I asked what was wrong." Leon's voice turned hard, his face tight. He pushed himself off the wall and headed towards his and Morgana's bedroom. When he returned, Leon saw his wife and his best friend staring at each other in wonder. "Merlin was right," he said with a sarcastic laugh. "You both should be ashamed of yourselves."

"Wait," Morgana cried, 'Where are you going now?" She put her phone down and slammed her fist on the table angrily. "What is everyone's problem?"

"Apparently it's us," Arthur stated softly. It was very rare that his best friend got this visibly angry or upset with them, and to see the fury on Leon's face set off the remaining alarms that Merlin's exit hadn't triggered. "What is happening Leon? What's going on?"

"Perhaps you should have asked Gwen that when she showed up here wrecked beyond repair," Leon replied. He wiped his face in a move that showed how exhausted he was. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. "I need to go. I'm not sure when I'll be home, don't wait for dinner. It will probably be a late night."

That was all the man said before leaving the condo, shutting the door with much less fanfare than those before him.

Arthur was left with Morgana, both staring at one another in awkward confusion. "Dear brother," Morgana said with a shake of her head. "I do think we've missed something."

"Whatever gave you that conclusion Morgana," Arthur replied sarcastically. "Well we might as well eat, you got anything good in here?"

Arthur was loading the last of the dishes into the dishwasher when the phone rang, startling them both. Neither had much to say as both were lost in their own thoughts. Neither would admit it, but they were hoping that Merlin or Leon, or even Gwen would take pity on them and call just to let them know what was going on. When the phone rang, Arthur scrambled to pick it up, disappointed when he saw Gwaine's name on his caller ID.

"I know the Ice Prince and Princess are pretty clueless on the best of days, but please explain to me why you're not here."

Arthur rolled his eyes as he sat down at the kitchen table. "I don't feel like going to the pub tonight Gwaine," he said distractedly. "I have more important things on my mind."

"The pub? What are you on about?" Gwaine replied softly, too soft for how Gwaine normally spoke. "Why would we be at the pub, what could we possibly be celebrating right now?"

"What are YOU talking about Gwaine?" Arthur complained. "I've already had it from Merlin and Leon tonight, I don't need it from you."

"Well I guess that's why neither will tell me why you're not here" Gwaine sighed. "Why AREN'T you here?"

"Where are you?" Arthur was getting increasingly frustrated, his temper close to erupting.

"How do you not know? Why did no one tell you?" Gwaine asked, more to himself than anything. "Arthur, we're at St Mary's Hospital."

Arthur felt his stomach drop to his shoes, his heart skipped a few beats. Had he not already been sitting, he would have definitely ended up on the floor. "St. Mary's? Why are you at the hospital Gwaine?"

At the mention of the hospital, Morgana's eyes widened and her head shot up. Her already pale features became even more white.

"Oh shit," Gwaine gasped. "You really don't know, do you? I thought Gwen said... I assumed she'd have told you when she was sent home from work today..."

Nothing could have made Arthur feel worse than he already did at that moment. Unfortunately, Gwaine's next words managed to prove him wrong. 

"There was an accident, Lance is in a coma."

The phone dropped from Arthur's hand and he held his hand over his mouth. Trembling, Morgana leaned over and picked the phone up. 

"Gwaine? Arthur is in shock, what did you just say? Why are you at the hospital?"

"Lance," Gwaine said, his voice betraying the tears in his eyes that he knew Morgana couldn't see. "He ...there was an accident. He is in a coma. Gwen got a phone call earlier today.. They ... they had to air lift him from London General to St. Mary's because ...well you need to get down here." Gwaine spoke to someone on his end of the line before coming back. "Don't go anywhere," he recanted. "Percy is on his way to come and get you, neither of you should be driving right now. We've had a bit longer to process it and Gwen's in with the doctor and Merlin right now."

Tears were flowing freely down Morgana's face. Looking down at her brother, she could see he wasn't faring any better. "Gwaine.." she gasped, her voice croaking over the phone. "I ... we didn't ... Gwaine..."

"Morgana," Gwaine's voice was strong, "breathe. Percy will be there in half an hour. Just wait, an hour won't make a difference, okay." 

Arthur motioned for the phone, grabbing it as Morgana handed it to him. "Tell me, talk to me.. please..." he begged.

As they waited for Percy to show up, Gwaine told him as much as he knew. How when the hospital called Gwen, they had let her know he wouldn't be able to fly over until they got his vitals stable. It was a medically induced coma but that didn't make it any less serious, in fact it made it more serious. She had been instructed not to go directly to St. Mary's like she had intended. He wouldn't be there and when he did get there, the last thing they needed was her being a wreck, it wouldn't do her any good and definitely not him. They suggested she surround herself with friends who would take care of her so she could take care of Lance. The details on the nature of the accident were fuzzy, only Lance would be able to fully tell them that. But he had been driving and there had been a crash. His survival at all was a miracle in and of itself.

Percy let himself in with Leon's keys, finding Arthur and Morgana clutching each other on the couch, neither moving. He gently touched Arthur's shoulder to get his attention.

"It's okay" Percy said softly. "Let's go." He locked up behind them before guiding the two siblings towards his car. Halfway to the hospital Morgana startled out of her reverie.

"We can't do this, oh god we don't have any right to be there. Turn around Percival, please."

"No can do sweetie," he said with a soft smile. 

"Arthur," she cried, as she pressed her face into his shoulder where they sat in the back seat. 

The blonde didn't respond, only petting Morgana's hair affectionately, rewatching the events of the day through different eyes.

When they arrived, Morgana dug her heels into the ground and stopped. "I need some time. I will be up in a bit." Before Arthur could protest she begged him. "Please, just give me a few minutes." Arthur nodded.

When they reached the floor Lancelot was said to be on, Arthur saw their friends sitting in the visitor's lounge, all present except for Morgana and Gwen. He saw Merlin hugging himself in the far corner, looking out the window. Arthur gave everyone a subtle, silent nod and went to sit beside Merlin, his own eyes as red and watery as his lover's. Merlin turned to face him, and when Arthur expected the other man to be angry, he was shocked when Merlin hurled himself into Arthur's embrace.

"I'm sorry," Merlin cried softly, pressing his face into Arthur's throat. "I shouldn't have left angry. What if something happened to me, or you? What if something happened and the last thing I'd said was that I was ashamed of you."

Arthur combed his hands through Merlin's hair, stroking him to comfort them both. "Shhhh," he whispered. "Don't. It's okay, we're okay."

"But what if we weren't? What if he's not?" Merlin pulled away and looked directly into Arthur's face, breaking Arthur's heart. 

"He will be," Arthur promised. "He will be because we will make sure he is. We will get him the best doctors he needs, we will do what it takes to get him well again. He can't be anything BUT okay Merlin," Arthur stated strongly. "We won't let him be anything but." 

"Arthur," Merlin cried as a fresh wave of sobs took over his body. 

"Shhhhh," Arthur said through tears of his own. "I"m so sorry Merlin, you were right. Everything you said. Please ..." He kissed Merlin's mouth through their tears. "Please, know how sorry I am. How wretched I feel, and how guilty I feel for feeling bad when I was such a twat. It has nothing to do with me and here I am, feeling sorry for myself."

"Shhhh," Merlin repeated. "We need to get it together," he said with a teary laugh. "We need to be strong for Gwen when she comes out. She's with him now."

Arthur nodded. He wiped Merlin's face first before using the sleeve of his sweater to wipe his own tears. They continued to whisper softly to one another until Leon walked over to where they were sitting. 

"Where's Morgana?" he asked gently.

Arthur nodded in the direction of the elevators. "She needed a few minutes, she's downstairs." As Leon nodded and turned to walk away Arthur called out to the other man. "Check the chapel," he suggested. "When father had his heart attack, that's where she would go to hide and think."

Just as Arthur mentioned, Leon found his wife sitting in the church chapel, crying softly with her head bent. She didn't look up until he sat beside her, nudging her softly. Through red bloodshot eyes Morgana looked at him, lost and alone.

"Come on beautiful, your best friend needs you," Leon said as he grasped Morgana's tiny hand in his larger one. He frowned when she shook her head.

"I'm the last person she needs right now," Morgana admitted in a broken voice.

"Now you and I both know that's not true," Leon said firmly as he stood up. "Now you can come with me willingly, or I can bring you up myself. Don't make this about you Morgana Pendragon-Knight. This is about Gwen and Lance, this is about what THEY need, and they don't need you feeling sorry for yourself because you're embarrassed right now."

Morgana took in and exhaled a deep breath. She pulled a mirror out of her purse and checked her makeup before deciding it was unsalvagable. "Fuck it, you're right. Lets go up."

Leon laughed in the otherwise empty church. "I'm pretty sure it's a sin to say fuck in church, even a hospital church!"

"Of my sins," Morgana said with a watery smile and a wink, "that's probably my least offensive." 

Leon nodded, knowing he was unable to argue. "Touche, my love."

"Good, now lets go and get food and coffee for everyone, we need to find out what doctors are on this case, what we need and how we are going to get Lance up and walking for their wedding next spring."

"There she is," Leon said fondly. "That's my wife."

Twenty minutes later and armed with caffeine, sandwiches, salads and a determination to get them all through this, Leon and Morgana joined the rest of their friends, who were getting an update from Gwen.

Once she had set down the tray and bags on the coffee table in front of her, Morgana pulled Gwen in for a tight hug. From the look on Arthur's face, he'd already made his apologies. She kissed Gwen's cheek and held her tight.

"We're going to be okay," she promised. "HE is going to be okay."

With a confidence Gwen didn't feel she nodded. "I know."

"Good.

FINIS


End file.
